Winter in Alaska

I've been back from Juneau, Alaska for a couple of weeks now, and am enjoying my family, winter activities, and Bay Area weather. I have so many wonderful memories of my month in Juneau with my mom, brother, sister, and Aunt Char, celebrating Christmas, New Years, and my Dad's life. We experienced freezing temperatures down to 3℉, a record-breaking snowfall, and drenching rain that melted a good deal of the snow in less than a week. Weather whiplash! 

The Big Freeze

By the time I arrived in town, Juneau had already had a big snowfall, but the roads had been plowed so it was easy to get around. We took some family car rides, and ate at some wonderful restaurants. Some of my favorite sights include the ice fog rise from the water, the rosy afternoon light, and the early sunsets. Some of my favorite experiences included hanging out with my family, watching good movies and shows, and sleeping on flannel sheets!

Ice fog at Auke Bay harbor

Rosy afternoon glow over Mendenhall Glacier

Ice fog at Amalga Harbor

Early sunset at Eagle River

Cozy back seat driving

The Big Snow

Two days after Christmas, an atmospheric river of snow rolled in and covered the Juneau area in fresh snow! The mounds and drifts of white snow were so beautiful. Snow removal equipment worked around the clock to keep the roads clear; Wally Olds plowed our driveway periodically; and we shoveled snow daily to keep the paths and berms clear. Inside, we worked on puzzles, read our novels, and enjoyed daily life.

Shoveling snow at dusk

Snow everywhere!

Snow-covered deciduous and evergreen trees

Snow covered car is taller than Mom

Ham sandwiches with Aunt Char and Mom

The Big Thaw

About a week later, the temperature rose to 38 ℉, an atmospheric river of rain rolled through, and all that snow started to melt. The roads, streets, and driveways were soon bare, roofs dumped their snow load, and the mounds of snow started to melt. What a relief to put away our snow shovels.

Snow on the road melted

Snow on the roof and driveway melted

Time for a puzzle and good conversation

What a great experience! 

Winter Movie 2026: Miriam Rice Documentary

Winter can be surprisingly cold here in the San Francisco Bay Area (not as cold as Alaska, but the foggy marine air can chill you to the bone). It's the perfect season for watching movies, especially where plants are the movie stars. For the last several years we've been watching some excellent plant dye related documentaries by Maiwa Productions.

This winter I've chosen a documentary called Mushrooms for Color, about mushroom-dyeing pioneer, Miriam C. Rice (1918-2010). Rice was an artist who lived and worked all over the United States, and finally moved to Mendocino, California with her husband, Ray. She was an artist-in-resident at the Mendocino Art Center, and became fascinated with the idea of dyeing fibers with mushrooms.

The documentary describes her journey, first seeking information from the San Francisco Mycological Society and then foraging for mushrooms and experimenting with dyeing. She had dye pots bubbling all over the house. At first she just plunged into the process without keeping any notes or records. As she developed processes for mordanting and dyeing, she started keeping detailed records and developed a shorthand to record her findings. Rice discovered a broad palette of colors that could be produced from fungi, especially when dyeing protein fibers. In 1974, she published "Let's Try Mushrooms for Color" (Thresch Publications). She shared her experience with other artists, scientists, and mycologists at various conventions and exhibitions. She was more interested in the science of extracting the color, than creating fiber art, but she soon developed an international following of fiber artists.

The documentary was made in 1988, and is still available, with caveats that some of the information may have been superseded by new discoveries. I was especially interested to see the many beautiful colors that can be produced from mushrooms and fungi, and to see the samples of dyed yarn. Since Rice collected in Northern California, she identified many dye sources that are readily available here in the Bay Area. She didn't just collect information, but shared it, building an international community of enthusiasts. Additionally, Rice realized that some mushrooms, especially Polypores can be used to make beautiful handcrafted paper that can be dyed with mushrooms (a second documentary describes this journey). To see both documentaries: https://youtu.be/o1Dn7GsBsmU?si=LkcoWYTMMSNGVLbt

Field Notes for January 2026

 Welcome back to Field Notes!

January 1, 2026

Happy New Year - welcome 2026! Mom, Aunt Char and I brought in the new year with some good movies and a good puzzle. It's cold and snowy outside, but very cozy inside. I'm enjoying "hibernating" with late mornings, delicious meals, good conversation, interesting books and movies; but look forward to a new year of learning, friendship, and activities.

Greeting 2026 with a sunrise over the Chilkat Mountains

Jungle Life (CEACO) - no snow in sight!
Artist: Ingrid Slyde

January 3, 2026

Car ride in the snow. We had a pause in the snow storm, dug out the car, and headed out to see what the four-day atmospheric river of snow left behind. Snow plows from the State of Alaska, Juneau City and Burrough, and independent contractors have been working non-stop to clear the main roads and residential streets. (Wally Olds is our local hero for plowing our driveway)! We encountered huge piles of snow everywhere, but with good driving conditions. We ended the ride with an early supper at The Hangar on the Wharf Restaurant.

Mom, my brother Dave, and I all worked to dig out the car!

Mendenhall Visitor Center (most tourists don't see this view)

January 6, 2026

Warming trend. The temperature here in Juneau, Alaska has warmed up to a balmy 34° F. and it's raining. Hopefully this will melt some of the surplus snow that is piled everywhere (although it will present icy conditions at the next freeze). I've really enjoyed our holiday snow storms, and the hard work of shoveling snow (it makes for a great cardio workout and healthy appetite)!

Snug home surrounded by snow drifts

My Aunt Char flew out early this morning, heading back to the San Francisco Bay Area. There, the forecast calls for a pleasant high temperature of 59° F. and partly sunny skies. We'll miss her wonderful presence!

January 9, 2026

Snow curtain. The snow pack has really built up on the roof here at my folk's in Juneau, Alaska. With the warmer temperatures and mixed snow and rain, the snow on the roof is starting to thaw. For the last several days we have been watching a snow curtain (edged in ice cycles) as it creeps over the eves. Compacted snow on the roof can be very heavy and cause damage, so we have been monitoring the situation.

Snow curtain creeping off the roof

Jagged remains of the snow curtain (with more to fall)

 

Finally, chunks of snow let loose with a big shudder, and cascaded to the ground. That should relieve some of the snow pack over the kitchen, front porch, and living room. With an atmospheric river of rain moving in, I'm sure more snow will slide off the roof soon.

January 13, 2026

Saved by the rain. It's been raining for several days now. The roof is almost empty of snow, and the driveway is clear down to the asphalt, except for a few patches of ice. Most of the evergreen trees have dumped their snow, and bare branches of shrubs are visible again. Even the mounds of snow on the yard and under the trees are visibly diminished from what they were. The main roads and highways are clear of snow, but snow removal equipment is continuing to remove snow and clear drainage systems in anticipation of additional storms that may impact the area. Inside activities still beckon.

The roof and driveway are now clear of snow

Wild Blue (CEACO) - another puzzle with no snow!
Artist: Kimi Tamagami

January 16, 2026

Travel day. I'm heading back to Oakland, California today after a month with my natal family. Together we celebrated the holidays and my Dad's life. He embraced Alaska and the frontier lifestyle for 70-plus years, and imparted that spirit of adventure to his family. In that spirit, we embraced all the manifestation of weather that we encountered!

Heading back to the San Francisco Bay Area

According to the Juneau Empire, the National Weather Service Juneau reported that December 2025 was the snowiest December ever recorded in Juneau. Eighty inches of snow fell in December; the previous record was 54.7 inches set in 1964. I'm proud to have survived the Snow Apocalypse of 2025, and am glad for the opportunity to help out my family in Alaska (I shoveled tons of snow, along with everyone else). I've also missed my family back home in Oakland, and am looking forward to seeing them again! 

January 18, 2026

Greetings from Oakland, California. I'm back home, unpacked, and settling back into regular life. The forecast for the week is mixed—cloudy, partly cloudy, partly sunny, mostly sunny, and temperature averaging about 60° high, 47° low. No snow or freezing temperatures in sight. So good to see my family!

Walking with Bobo the Husky in Oakland
(43° F. at 9:20 am, destined for 64° later today)

January 21, 2026

Christmas in January! My family and I observed Christmas Eve last night here in Oakland, and are celebrating Christmas today with our stockings, presents, and lots of good food! The only thing missing is five feet of snow everywhere!

Belated Merry Christmas 2025!

January 27, 2026

Fungus hike at Tilden Nature Center. I recently attended my first ever Fungus Hike at Tilden Nature Center. Our group leader was Martha Cerda, who wore a fabulous Amanita muscaria hat and found many interesting mushrooms near the Nature Center. The group was very engaged, and ranged from kids to seniors, and novices to experts.

Group leader exhibits a poisonous Amanita muscaria

A few of the mushrooms near the Nature Center

There are so many mushroom shapes and types (I definitely need to learn parts in order to better identify species)! Two favorite mushrooms that we saw include the deadly Fly Amanita (Amanita muscaria) with its bright red cap and white scales; and the Dyer's Polypore (Phaeolus schweinitzii), which is a source of green, yellow, gold, or brown dye.

The beautiful but deadly Amanita muscaria

A colony of Phaeolus schweinitzii

Two more Fungus Hikes at the Tilden Nature Center are planned for February. To learn more, visit the Easts Bay Regional Park District website and search for activities.

January 31, 2026 ⛅

Landscaping Maintenance. I've been home from Alaska for about two and a half weeks now, and haven't yet had the inclination to get out in the garden (too chilly). Luckily, winter is a "dormant" period, and our landscape maintenance team has provided excellent service. Both have given me a little time to ease back into Bay Area living. 

🗹 Weed the garden paths and beds (ongoing task). Learn to identify the weeds in their early stages, and remove them while they are easy to pull. Note: we had some rain earlier this week, and I'm already seeing new weeds sprouting up. I'll tackle them next week!

🗹 Clean up leaves, sticks and cones—blown in via winter storms—from patios, paths, and the driveway. Note: everything was cleaned up when I returned from Alaska, but the recent rain and wind brought in a new batch of leaves, sticks, and spent flowers that need to be cleaned up.

🗹 Cut back invasive ivy from the street.

🗹 Take an inventory of any early blooming flowers in the yard, such as California poppy and Clarkia. Watch for buds and new growth. Note: the Manzanita is covered with lovely pink blossoms! No sign of California poppy or Clarkia blooms yet. Our landscaping crew pruned and groomed the Solidago (Goldenrod), Asters (purple "daisy"), Deo grass (Rush Grass), Cotoneaster, Mimulus (Monkey flower), and Juniper (shrub).

🗹 Watch for mushrooms that pop up in the yard. Some may indicate decay, but I've found most indicate a healthy soil environment. Some might be suitable for dyeing fabric! Note:  I've seen a few mushrooms popping up after the recent rains, and expect more to follow!